Will they never learn?
The winner of the Telekom Beethoven Competition in Bonn last night was an Italian, Filippo Gorini.
He is a student of the jury chairman, Pavel Gililov.
The system is rotten, through and through.
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Surprise, surprise …
And no, Norman, they will never learn. The 2013 edition provoked a scandal when the first prize winner who got barely twenty per cent of the audience vote was booed after the announcement of the results – which were, of course, of course, ” based on the previous rounds”.
It’s Pavel Gililov, not Gilikov.
details details
Chopin competition winner is from one of 2 nations that still buys CD’s, after DG announced that they will make a live release of the winner (something that has never been done, it was always a studio recording)
Why LIVE? Its cheaper, which means that DG is managing for cost and has a great incentive to hedge their bet by choosing someone that SELLS.
Yet NONE of that raises your eyebrows Norman?
All competitions should be abolished, prestissimo. They have no proper place in classical music. Save them for sports.
Amen. “Competitions are for horses, not artists.” – Béla Bartók
Before flat-out damning the competition, examine the judging rules and find out if Gililov recused himself from voting for his own pupil.
It doesn’t matter whether Gililov voted or not as regards his student Filippo Gorini who just won the competition. Gililov is the chairman of the Beethoven competition. He invited the jury. Difficult to deny that he’ll have had a hell of a lot of influence over the jury and the final outcome.
1995 Queen Elisabeth Piano Competition. First three prizewinners had their teachers on the jury. I won the fourth.
Many congratulations!
Whatever the drama, compliments to the competitors for performing in such a sterile, uninspiring space (complete with pink Telekom lighting), in stark contrast to the classier venues of the Tchaik, Chopin etc.
Is there nothing better in Bonn?
Afraid not.
Is the obvious choice
http://www.beethoven-haus-bonn.de/sixcms/detail.php?id=39065&template=&_mid=39065
too small with it’s 199 seats?
The Telekom space didn’t seem to have many more.
This competition is a commercial event totally sponsored by Telekom, that explains the choice of the hall…and the jury.
On the other hand, in this case, Gorini won the audience prize by a substantial margin, so it seems a little unfair to tarnish his achievement, unless you think the whole hall was invited by Gililov.
Indeed, this time Gililov is rather lucky… otherwise the scandle would be too obvious. Let’s see how long will this “love story” continue between Telekom and Gililov…
The problem is not the competitions. The problem is taking competitions too seriously.
Beethoven in the above portrait certainly does not look happy at all. He looks downright disapprovingly. Is he trying to tell us something about competitions?
I agree on most of your remarks about competitions!
However in the specific we should honestly recognize that:
– to my knowledge, Gorini is NOT a pupil of Giliov, he just participated in some master class by him
– I followed closely this edition of the Beethoven (did you?), and I agree with the opinion of audience and jury that this 20yrs Italian is outstanding.
Just my opinion, respectfully.
Up with good music and good pianists.
Gorini was once a pupil of Gililov, that is checkable in the internet (in Italien though…). We’re not saying that he is not an outstanding pianist – It’s not his fault, he is more likely a victim of this tradition.
By to-night if not already it will all be in the dust bin of music history.